Stand for sheet music or the like



April 14, 1953 R. e. BODE STAND FOR SHEET MUSIC OR THE LIKE Filed Fb. 4, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET l ffzaefik? P062787 6. .5005 a M April 14, 1953 R. G. BODE 2,634,542

STAND FOR SHEET MUSIC OR THE LIKE;

Filed Feb. 4, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 five/7 0/ FOB/5R7 6. 5005 i atenteci Apr. 14, 1953 STAND FOR SHEET MUSIC OR THE LIKE Robert G. Bode, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Norwood Company, Morton Grove, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 4, 1950, Serial N 0. 142,485

1 Claim.

The present invention relates generally to stands. More particularly the invention relates to thetype of stand which serves as a medium or instrumentality for supporting sheet music or any like item in an elevated position with respect to the floor and comprises a standard with supporting means at its lower end, a rack at the upper end of the standard and a bracket which is attached to the central portion of the back of the rack and is so operatively connected to the upper end of the standard that it serves to support the rack so that it is capable of being tilted into different angular positions.

One object of the invention is to provide a stand of this type which is an improvement upon, and has certain inherent advantages over, previously designed stands for the same purpose and istcharacterized by simplicity of design or construction, facility of adjustment and low cost of manufacture.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a stand of the type under consideration in which the bracket and the upper end of the standard are so constructed and operatively connected that the bracket together with the rack may be readily removed from the standard when it is desired to dismantle the stand for purposes of ready transportation.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a stand of the aforementioned type in which the bracket on the central portion of the back of the rack comprises a pair of laterally spaced, sector shaped side pieces which extend transversely of the rack, have a removable pivot forming bolt extending through aligned holes in their apex portions and embody in their curved marginal portions substantially concentric arcuate slots with smooth outer edges and teeth-equipped inner edges, and the upper end of the standard is adapted normally to fit between, and extend radially with respect to, the sector shaped side pieces of the bracket, embodies at its extremity a longitudinally extending notch for receiving pivotally and slidably the pivot forming bolt between the apex portions of the bracket side pieces, and embodies at a short distance beneath the notch a crosspin, the ends of which fit normally within the aforementioned arcuate slots and are adapted when the rack is raised to a limited extent with respect to the standard to be positioned in the outer portions of the slots so as to permit freetilting of the rack into any desired angular position within the range of the slots and when the rack is lowered after tilting to the desired extentto interfit with the superjacent teeth along the inner edges of the slots and coact therewith a stand of the last mentioned character in whichthe crosspin that extends through the upper end of the standard at a point beneath the longitudinally extending notch is fixedly secured in place,

and removal of the bracket from the upper end of the standard is effected by first removing the pivot forming bolt that extends through the apex portions of the bracket side pieces and then turning the bracket throughout a are with respect to the crosspin in order to withdraw the ends of the crosspin from the arcuate slots and thus free the bracket from connected relation with the upper end of the standard.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stand of the type and character under consideration in which the bracket is in the form of a one-piece, U-shaped, sheet metal stamping, embodies an intermediate piece between certain opposed straight margins of the side pieces and has on the other straight margins of its side pieces outwardly extending flanges for attachment to the central portion of the back of the rack.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a stand which is generally of new and improved construction, consists of but a comparatively small number of par-ts and effectively and efficiently fulfills its intended purpose,

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of the present stand will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel fea- Figure 3 is a-fragmentary side elevation show ing the bracket in its normal or locked position, i. e., after it has been lowered with respect to the upper end of the standard so as to cause the ends of the crosspin to interfit with-the superjacent teeth along the inner edges of the armate slots in the bracket side pieces;

Figure 4 is a vertical section illustrating the bracket after it has been raised with respect to the upper end of the standard in order to free the ends of the crosspin from the teeth and thus permit it to be tilted into any desired angular position within the range or length of the arcuate teeth-equipped slots in the curved marginal portions of the bracket side pieces;

Figures 5 and 6 are vertical sections taken respectively on the lines '5-5 and 6-6 of Figures 3 and 4; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective showing the bracket and the upper end of the standard after they have been rotated 90 relatively to one another in order to remove or free the ends of the crosspins from the arcuate slots in the curved marginal portions of the bracket side pieces and thus permit removal of the bracket from the .1 per end of the standard.

The stand which is shown in the drawings constitutes the preferred form or embodiment of the .invention. It is .designed or adapted to hold sheet music or any like or similar item in an elevated position with respect to the floor so that it is Within the range of vision of the user of the stand. As its principal components or parts the stand comprises a standard 8, a rack 9 and a bracket H).

The standard 8 is preferably vertically extensible in order that the user may raise or lower the ,rack 9 as desired. It consists of a tubular lower section II and .a solid rod-like upper section 12 in telescopic relation with the lower section. The last mentionedsection is provided at its lower end with outwardly extending feet 1 3 which are adapted to rest on the floor and support the standard in a vertical or upstanding position. The upper end of the lower section H of the standard is provided with a fixed collar l4 and this is provided with a transversely extending set screw [5. The lower end of the upper section l2 of the standard extends through the collar Hi into the upper end of the lower section II and is secured in place by the set screw 15. When the set screw is loosened the upper section I2 of the'standard may be slid upwards or downwards so as to adjust as desired the height of the rack. The extremity of the upper end of the upper section I2 is provided With a longitudinal notch 16. The latter is of appreciable depth and extends diametrically with respect to the upper section of the standard. At a small distance beneath the notch IS the upper end of the upper section I2 of the standard is provided with a horizontal crosspin I]. The central portion of this pin extends through a diametric, open end, circular hole 1- 8 and is secured in it by a so-called drive and press fit. The ends of the crosspin l1 project outwards of the side surface of the upper section [2 of the standard.

The rack 9 is normally positioned adjacent the upper end of the upper section of the standard 8 and is illustrated in the drawing as being in the form of a substantially rectangular sheet metal plate, the lower margin of which is bent forwards at right angles to form a ledge is for supporting the sheet music or other item.

The bracket ID is located at the central portion of the back of the rack 9 and serves so to connect the rack to the upper end of the upper section I2 01": the standard that it is capable of being tilted into difierent angular positions. It is preferably in the form of a one-piece U-shaped sheet metal stamping and comprises a pair of laterally spaced side pieces 20, an intermediate piece 2! between the two side pieces and outwardly extending attaching flanges 22 on the side pieces. The side pieces 20 of the bracket are sector shaped and are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the upper section l2 of the standard 8. They are preferably in the form of quadrants and have the outwardly extending attaching flanges 22 formed integrally with two of their straight margins. As best shown in Figure .1 of the drawings, lthezattaching flanges 22 fit flatly against the centralportion of the back of the rack and are welded in place to the end that the bracket In as a whole is fixedly connected to the rack. The intermediate piece 2| of the bracket extends between, and is formed integrally with, the other two opposed straight margins of the side pieces 20 and serves to hold the side pieces in spaced apart relation. It extends throughout the entire length of said other two opposed straight margins of the side pieces and coacts with the flanges 22 to prevent lateral flexing of the side pieces 20. The attaching flanges 22 extend at rig-ht anglesto the bracket side pieces and hence the-side pieces: are positioned transversely of the rack '9. bracket is arranged so that the curved margins of the bracket side pieces face downwardsand the apex portions of the bracket side piecesdace upwards. The curved. marsinsni .the sidegpieces of the bracket are free or disconnected iin-crder to permit the upp r end *of the upper section pf the standard to be inserted -between :the bracket: side pieces. The apex portions :of, the side pieces of the bracket have formed therein alignedcincnelar holes 23 for the shank of. a pivotaiorminsr bolt 24. This bolt has a. head on one :end or its shank and a nut 25 on its other end Them-1t, when in place, coacts with the .head of the bolt to hold the bolt against axial displacement with respect to the side pieces of the bracket. order to withdraw the bolt from its:normaloperativepw sition it is only necessary to remove the nut-25'. and then slide the bolt in the direction :ofits head. As hereinafter described, the bolt, when in place, forms a pivot or fulcrum for the bracket and rack. bracket side pieces 20 have formed therein Jar-1 cuate slots 26 which are concentrically positioned with respect to the holes 23 and have closed ends. The outer edges of the :slots '26 are smooth and the inner edges are in the form of arcuate series of equidistant-1y spaced teeth 25!.

The width of the slots 216, i. e., the distance between the smooth outer edges of the slotszandthe roots of the teeth 21, is slightly more than twice the diameter of the crosspin H.

When the bracket It is in assembled relationwith the standard the upper end of the upper section [2 is disposed in the space between thebracket side pieces 20, the pivot forming bolt 24 is disposed with-in the notch [-6 and the ends of the crosspin ll fit within the arcuate slots as shown in Figure 4. Normally the bracket is in a lowered position with respect to the upper end of the upper section of the standard. and the ends of the crosspin H are disposed in interfitting relation with the superjacent teeth 21, as shown in Figure 3. In such normal position of the bracket the bracket and rack are locked. in place against tilting movement. When it is. desired angularly to adjust or tilt the rack the bracket is raised with respect to the upper end of the upper section of thestandard (so as to. cause the ends of the crosspin to become disengaged from the teeth 27 and disposed in the outer per--- tions of the slots 2-5. such portions of the slots the bracketis free to.

be tilted in either direction so far asapermitted The curved marginal portions of the" When .the pins are by the length of the slots. As soon as the bracket together with the rack is tilted into the desired position and then released so that it moves downwards by gravity the ends of the crosspin are brought into interfitting relation with the superjacent teeth 21 and hence lock the bracket and rack in their desired or selected angular position. The notch :6 in the extremity of the upper end of the upper section of the standard is of such depth that when the bracket 2!] is raised with respect to the standard as a preliminary to angular adjustment the pivot forming bolt 24 remains in the notch (see Figures 4 and 6). When it is desired to dismantle the standard the bolt 24 is removed from the bracket Ill. Thereafter the bracket and the upper section of the standard are turned one relatively to the other throughout an arc of 90 in order to free or withdraw the ends of the crosspin 2! from the slots 26. After such relative turning of the bracket and the upper section of the standard the bracket is free to be removed merely by shifting it rectilinearly away from the upper end of the upper section l2. In connection with reassembly of the stand the upper end of the upper section of the standard is first inserted between the bracket side pieces while the crosspin IT is disposed in parallel relation with the bracket side pieces. After such step the bracket and the upper section of the standard are turned one relatively to the other throughout a 90 arc in order to lodge the ends of the crosspin within the arcuate slots 26. After the ends of the crosspin are disposed within the slots the bracket is tilted or manipulated until the notch I6 is in alignment with the holes 23 in the apex portions of the bracket side pieces 20. Thereafter the shank of the bolt is inserted through the holes in the notch and the nut 25 is applied to it so as to hold it in place.

The herein described stand is essentially simple in design or construction, and, due to the manner in which the bracket I0 is formed and operatively connected to the upper end of the standard, is capable of being assembled and dismantled with facility. The shape and arrangement of the bracket are such that tilting and subsequent locking of the bracket may be readily accomplished. The stand as a whole effectively and efiiciently fulfills its intended purpose and, due to the number and construction of its component parts, may be produced at a comparatively low cost.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

As a new article of manufacture, a stand adapted tiltably to hold sheet material or the like in an elevated position and comprising a standard of circular cross section provided at its lower end with supporting means, having an elongated longitudinally extending open sided and open top notch in its upper extremity and embodying at a small distance beneath the notch a fixedly mounted crosspin with exposed outwardly extending ends, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined rack positioned normally adjacent the upper end of the standard, and a one-piece bracket projecting rearwards from the central portion of the back surface of the rack and embodying a pair of vertically extending laterally spaced side pieces of quadrantal shape positioned at right angles to the rack and so that the curved marginal portions thereof face downwards and their apex portions face upwards, having the inner straight margins thereof provided with integral outwardly extending right angle flanges in fixedly connected relation with the back of the rack, provided with oppositely disposed holes in the apex portions thereof, having a removable transversely positioned pivot forming bolt extending through said holes, and embodying at a small distance inwards of their curved edge portions closed substantially concentric arcuate slots of materially greater width than the crosspin and with smooth outer edges and teeth equipped inner edges, said bracket also embodying an intermediate piece extending between and connected to the outer straight margins of the side pieces throughout their entire length and coacting with said right angle flanges to prevent lateral flexing of said side pieces, said upper end of the standard normally extending between. and radially with respect to, the side pieces of the bracket and being arranged so that its notched u per extremity is in pivotal and slidable engagement with the pivot forming bolt and the ends of the crosspin extend outwards through the arcuate slots, the bracket together with the rack being movable vertically to a limited extent with respect to the upper end of the standard and being adapted when raised to have the ends of the crosspin disposed in the outer portions of the slots and in engagement with said smooth outer edges so that the bracket is free to tilt about the bolt into different angular positions and when lowered to have the ends of the crosspin interfit with the superiacent teeth in such manner as to lock the bracket against tilting relatively to the standard, said bracket being further adapted after removal of the bolt and upon lateral turning thereof throughout a angle relatively to the standard to have the ends of the crosspin move out of the slots and thus free the bracket so that it may be removed from the upper end of the standard by shifting it away from the latter.

ROBERT G. BODE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 695,951 Seymoure Mar.25, 1902 809,310 Long Jan. 9, 1906 1,446,352 Priest Feb. 20, 1923 2,440,847 Charley May 4, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,698 Great Britain 1886 

